The Road to Ruin
by Faye Neuer
Summary: Kailina Xander only had one reason for attending Sweet Amoris High: payback. Yet, the unexpected attraction she holds for Matthew Knightson's son just might be her undoing.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Any and all characters and settings that are recognizable belong to their respective owners. My Candy Love is the property of Beemoov and ChinoMiko. OCs like Kailina, the plot and other settings belong to me.

* * *

_It's finally time... _The brunette stared at the sign intended to welcome students and staff in its doors. _Sweet Amoris High..._

Truthfully, her move here had been a stroke of luck on her part. Whilst her aunt had preferred her to relocate more closer to her, Kailina Xander had always harboured a grudge on the man named Matthew Knightson; a prominent lawyer with two children who currently attended the establishment she was standing outside. People were milling about yet Kailina scantly paid attention to them. She was just glad that she was getting closer to the man who had been the one responsible for her father's prison sentence.

Her fists clenched. _One day, Matthew... One day, I'll ruin your life as surely as you've ruined mine..._

* * *

"Kailina Hart, right?" The elderly woman smiled at her. "How nice it is to meet you! I'm Mrs. Shermansy, the principal of this school!"

Kailina nodded and bowed slightly. "It's nice to meet you."

Principal Shermansky smiled wider. "Well, you should make your way to the Student Council Room; Nathaniel should have all your preliminaries ready. I hope you enjoy your time here!"

Kailina smiled and nodded once again yet had been quick to do so; the Principal left her in the middle of the hallway in order to attend to some other matter. Repressing a sigh, Kailina blended in with the rest of the group of students currently making their way to various destinations; her eyes roaming over each sign on the doors she passed.

Eventually, she found the Student Council Room and moved out of the path of a gaggle of girls currently preoccupied with checking out "that hot military-style guy." She considered knocking yet noticed that the door was slightly ajar, revealing the form of a blond currently engrossed in searching for something.

She had internally reacted to the news of the Knightson male being the Student Council President, of course. She resisted the urge to show her anger on her face and, instead, settled for a neutral expression. No need for him to know how much it hurt her to face her target's son.

So, she entered the room and called his name. He turned around and she noticed his golden-coloured eyes. He might have been Matthew's son, but didn't take after him in the looks department.

With a smile, he addressed her. "Yes? How may I help you?"

Kailina swallowed back her repulsion. "I'm Kailina Hart, the new student."

His eyes brightened. "Oh, yes. I've been expecting you. I just need to finalise some things and then you'll be officially enrolled."

She put on a smile. "Okay. So, what do I need?"

Nathaniel looked to the side. "Well, you'd need to pay a $25 enrolment fee and you'd need to get a picture taken at the Dollar Store for your student I.D."

She repressed a sigh again. "Okay, I'll have to get the money back from my apartment, is that okay?"

He grinned. "Sure, just come back here once you're done."

Kailina smiled and thanked him, but made sure to not lower her guard. He was that man's son: the enemy. And yet, as she left, she couldn't help but think about how handsome she found him.

* * *

She had just left the building before a voice had halted her. "So, what reason do _you_ have for moving here?"

She turned her head to regard said figure. With red hair, a nonchalant look on his face and a outfit complimenting his love for rock, he screamed delinquent. Yet, that didn't faze Kailina; as long as she wasn't discovered as being Piero Xander's daughter, she'd make sure to stay in everyone's good graces. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The boy smirked and placed a hand on his hip. "You know _exactly _what I'm talking about. Everyone's got one; tragic past, running from the law, orphan who's been shunted from town to town to this dump here."

Kailina ignored the majority of his words. "This place doesn't look like a dump."

He scoffed. "Yeah, because you haven't been here long enough; a couple of days from now, you'd get bored of this place."

"I'm sure you're only speaking for yourself." After all, Kailina had a mission to complete. "But, I appreciate the gesture. I'm Kailina."

His half-smile remained. "Pleasure; you still need a photo? Go to the Dollar Store. It's about a 5-minute walk. Louis will get it all sorted." Apparently, that was it for his welcome as he moved towards the inside of the school.

Kailina resisted calling him back. There was a part of her that had yearned for company. Yet, it would not have been prudent for her to carry on talking with the redhead; she'd told herself she'd get through this alone.

She made her way to the Dollar Store, focusing on one thing the whole way there.

* * *

For whatever reason – which had _nothing _to do with a certain brunette he had just met – Castiel found himself making his way to English class.

As he seated himself, his good friend Lysander leant towards him and whispered, "I thought you promised yourself you weren't going to come back to Mrs. Partridge's class."

Castiel refrained from rolling his eyes. "Look, Lys, I'm in a good mood right now. Don't ruin it for me."

Lysander smiled softly and got out his stationary from his bag just as Mrs. Partridge began her lesson. "Well, now that everyone is here, let's begin the lesson. _Evelyn _is a novel-"

Castiel _actually _rolled his eyes this time. "Lys, my good mood's gone."

Lysander sighed good-naturedly. "Which is why I was surprised – why _did _you come?"

Castiel hesitated in saying anything that would answer the question. Wouldn't it seem shallow of him to be so accommodating because of a girl? A girl, no less, he'd only known for 2 minutes...? "Well, Lys, I met this girl-"

"What girl? Is she new? What's her name? What does she look like?"

Castiel almost sighed at the words. Peggy Smith, expert in snooping. He turned his head to regard her and saw no shame in her beady eyes. "Sheesh, what is w_ith _you and listening in to people's conversations?"

Peggy was unaffected. "That's how I get the latest scoops!"

Castiel shook his head as the teacher resumed her lecture, seemingly unaware that not all her students were listening. "You'll meet her sometime, anyway. Maybe in the halls or something, so stop nagging me about it."

"Psh. Do you _really _think I want to be the last one in the know?!"

"Well, too bad for you. I'm-"

"Castiel, Peggy! _Do _pay more attention in class or else I'd have to take drastic measures." Mrs. Partridge looked just like the principal with her murderous glare and dishevelled hair. The two immediately stopped paying attention to each other to regard the usually-meek English teacher. She exhaled before starting again. "Good, now, let me resume from my previous train of thought. So, the character Celestia-"

"Is she pretty?"

"Shut up, Peggy."

* * *

Kailina made her way through the halls. Another encounter with Nathaniel meant that she had conflicting feelings to sort out. His generosity and easy-going smile completely contrasted with the family from which he came from. A part of her softened at the thought; she honestly _shouldn't _judge him because of his father's job. Her inner conscience, however, did not agree with that train of thought. He's a Knightson and that's all there is to it. She stopped walking when she heard a couple of voices further down the hall.

"Charlotte, you look _fine_. I don't see why you're-"

"Because it's Nick; it's not just anyone, Amber."

"Urgh, fine, Nick'll love it. Now, let's _go. _I want to see Castiel!"

"Okay, okay."

A group of three girls exited the women's toilets and made their way past Kailina. The blonde of the pack shot Kailina a cursory glance before exiting the building.

Kailina raised an eyebrow. Were those three _allowed _to miss class? And what was the deal with the blonde?

* * *

"It's nice for us to meet up like this every now and then."

The quartet of girls was currently seated behind one of the tables outside Cafe Bluebird. Kailina had been exploring as much of the town as she could and planned to familiarise herself with all the attractions and services that Sweet Amoris had to offer. She'd hardly been pondering the likelihood that she would meet some fellow classmates out and about as well.

The green-eyed girl was the first to turn and regard Kailina. "Hey, new girl, you busy? I want to introduce you to some friends!"

Kailina almost hesitated at that. Her sole purpose had been to get as close to Nathaniel as possible – without him discovering her true identity – in order to gain some sort of victory over Matthew Knightson. Friends hadn't really been on the agenda. Nevertheless, she moved towards the group of girls, who had resumed chatting but were stealing a couple of glances towards the obvious 'outsider' of the group.

"So, you're here. I'm Kim; this is Rosalya, Melody and Violette." The green-eyed girl had gestured to each of the girls as they had been introduced. Melody and Violette had nodded their heads in welcome and Rosalya had placed a big grin on her face.

"So, you're Katrina, right? I'd heard some girls chatting about you."

Kailina had to smile at that. "It's _Kailina_. And, it's nice to meet you all. Is this your usual hangout?"

Kim waved a hand at that. "Yeah, I suppose. Only when we can meet up, though; there are usually other things that need to be done, so we don't meet up that often."

"How are you enjoying your time at Sweet Amoris?" It was Melody who spoke this time. Her smile was genial and she'd folded her hands on top of each other, looking every bit as professional as her role as class representative required.

Kailina smiled and nodded as she seated herself beside Violette. "It's nice. The place is similar to Meadowvale, in many ways."

Violette lifted her head to regard Kailina with an expression of satisfaction. "So, you're from Meadowvale. Have you lived there all your life?"

The brunette nodded again. "Yes, I've never actually travelled much in that regard. Although, there are times-"

The buzzing of her phone alerted her and she stopped talking as she stared at the screen. The caller ID was blocked and she'd automatically assumed the worst. What if someone knew of her plan for revenge? But, she halted that train of thought and silently excused herself from the table as she moved to answer the phone, but away from the prying eyes of her new acquaintances. "Hello?"

"Kailina, it's me."

She almost gasped at the sound of his voice. It was her father, Piero Xander, still sitting in a rotten cell. "Dad..."

"I got this opportunity to talk to you. How are you doing?"

She smiled, albeit reticently. "I'm fine, Dad. I... I miss you."

He sighed softly. "I miss you more, I'm sure. I still have some time to s-"

She gritted her teeth at his unspoken word. "It's not _your _time to serve, Dad!"

"Kailina, please..." She suppressed the urge to say any more on the matter; her father sounded disapproving of her outburst and she noted a couple look her way. "Just don't get yourself in trouble and promise that you'll meet me sometime."

"I promise, Dad." Then, tacked on as a reason for her actions, she continued. "I love you, Dad."

* * *

An hour or two must have passed with the girls getting together and conversing about various subjects. The sky had gradually darkened and Kailina found herself taking a separate route from the rest of the girls. Unfortunately, they all lived on the other side of the neighbourhood. Yet, despite this, Kailina made the most of her walk; her eyes still absorbing the sight of her new home.

She had almost completed her journey when a hand grabbed her arm. "Hey, what-?"

"Don't say a word."

Her eyes widened as she ceased struggling. Why was _he _manhandling her...?

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello, my fellow Candies and Sucrettes. So, I've been playing My Candy Love for a while now, yet had all these ideas running around in my head. I've only been brave enough to write about them now, though... .;;

Please read and review, and give constructive criticism if you have any, haha!

Much love! xx


	2. Chapter II: Breaking Out

**Chapter II – Breaking Out**

* * *

Kailina had only turned around for the briefest instant before she'd yanked her hand out of Nathaniel's grasp. He, at least, had the decency to look apologetic. "I'm sorry for startling you."

Kailina wasn't done with her frostiness. All that pent-up rage was apparently getting the best of her. "Seriously – you had to get my attention by _pulling my hand_?"

"I know; I know... it was stupid."

She sighed before answering. "So, what is it you want me for?"

He turned his gaze to a dark blue car parked a couple of steps away from him. "Can we talk... in my car?"

There was so much wrong with that statement that Kailina was instantly wary. Yet, a part of her felt that spending time with the lawyer's son would benefit her in the long run. "Okay, well... after you, then."

Nathaniel seemed appeased with her answer and was the first to enter the car as Kailina trailed behind.

* * *

Samuel Martins had simply wanted to meet his good friend Jade in Cafe Bluebird simply because it was one of the most popular hangouts for students. Yet, he'd personally never been one for socialising. He'd never expected to meet the new girl, though, all things considered. There was an innate curiosity burning within him as he'd heard talk spread of her arrival. Although, that could have simply been due to the fact that the town of Sweet Amoris was close-knit; everyone knew everyone else, in one way or another.

She'd acclimatized nicely enough, if the conversation she'd had at the table with the other girls was any indication. He'd been far too preoccupied with catching up with his friend from Stoneblip High but had discreetly kept his ears open when she'd moved towards their table whilst on the phone.

_Her father's serving time...?_

Only one conclusion came to his mind at those words but he'd keep his head down; whatever business she had here was none of his concern.

* * *

Another day and Kailina had no idea as to how she'd make Mr. Knightson pay. Her father was sitting in a dingy prison cell, cut off from his family and friends, whilst Matthew had all the time in the world to devote to his wife and kids. The injustice sickened her.

And it may have been this feeling that pushed her to go to the Student Council Room. Whilst some students were making their way to school now, Kailina hoped that the Student Council members were not one of the early birds. Although, there was only 20 minutes left until school started.

The door to the room was open, however, and her heart and head had conflicting views about what she should do or say if Nathaniel was the one to greet her. Yet, as she entered, the room was empty. Her eyebrows creased together. Luck or just a coincidence...?

She would have left had it not been for the vast amount of paperwork she saw atop the filing cabinets. Whilst there would be nothing of benefit to her there, Kailina couldn't help but rove through the documents; her eyes skimming most of the words on the pages.

A small part of her wondered why these papers had been left on top of the cabinets rather than inside them, but the rest of her was happy with the misjudgement on the Council members' parts. She leant against the smaller cabinets as she examined each document. Most of it was of no importance to her, but-

Her file was still there. Had Nathaniel, perhaps, been looking through it again? She couldn't help but panic inwardly; she hadn't been found out, had she?

Kailina had no more time to ponder as the voice of Melody greeted her. "Hi, Kai... I didn't know you were meant to be here..."

"Wha-?" With haste, she placed the documents atop the cabinet and relaxed her position to make it seem as if she had been standing there idly. Melody, however, did not change her expression in the slightest. "Oh, um... I was actually waiting for Nathaniel and..."

Melody smiled at the sound of his name. "Right... Well, he usually has to pick up Amber. Apparently, she takes a while to get ready."

"Right..." Actually, Kailina had never known that Amber and Nathaniel were related when she'd met the two; had it not been for her aunt – infinite source of wisdom that she was – she would have firmly believed that they were not connected in any way. "Well, anyway... I should get going..."

"Okay," Melody supplied and made to move to the bigger filing cabinets located next to the notice board.

However, there was one last thing Kailina had to say. "So, Melody... would I be able to join Student Council one day?"

Again, Melody smiled at that. "Oh, sorry, but you'd have to be a student for at least a year before you are eligible. But, it's nice to know that you're interested."

Kailina smiled at her. "Thanks." She'd have to find another way to get closer to him.

* * *

Despite his tendency to get lost or forget things, Lysander Ainsworth was proud to announce that he was usually punctual when it came to his studies. His homework was given in on time; he always caught up with the required reading and was currently waiting for Castiel in the courtyard.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long; the engine of the black vehicle was put to a stop before his red-headed friend stepped out of it. Lysander kept a small smile on his face whilst Castiel concerned himself with locking up his car and sorting out the essentials he'd need for his classes. Not that Mr. Wester was incredibly _concerned _about studying...

"How long have you been waiting?"

Lysander consulted his phone. "About 5 minutes. Was Demon giving you trouble?"

Castiel exhaled noisily before seating himself next to his best friend. "A little; he's been pretty restless lately. I need to make sure he's got enough food before-ʺ His eyes narrowed as he stared off into the distance. "Is that Golden Boy with the new girl?"

Lysander followed his gaze. "...Hmm, so it is." From where he was seated, Lysander could clearly see Nathaniel and an unfamiliar brunette laughing and it got him to thinking how she'd been able to get him to open up in that way. Then, as an aside, he added, "I hope you're not jealous."

"I'm _not," _he said and crossed his arms over his chest. "I just hate that guy; all protocol and regulations and-"

Lysander unintentionally zoned out as Castiel raged on. He wasn't someone who was curious in the sense that he wanted new information ASAP. Furthermore, he didn't like to indulge in gossiping. Yet, he found himself drawn to finding out more about the new girl. Maybe it was because even Castiel himself had been in a good mood – so to speak – after having met her.

He inwardly sighed. Here's to hoping that it wasn't another Deborah...

"-and, even t_hen, _I'm always the bad- Lys, you listening?"

Lysander perked up. "Yes, of course."

Castiel eyed him speculatively and Lysander realised just well his good friend knew him. "Right... So, what were you thinking about?"

He wanted to reply with 'Nothing much' but he knew that would never fool the redhead. "A new song although it's just a vague idea; I've only got the melody down." The excuse itself was plausible yet he'd have to carry on with his quick thinking if he wanted Castiel to forget about Nathaniel and his new friend.

"Okay," Castiel looked appeased at the thought. "So, what were you thinking on basing it on?"

"Well..."

* * *

"Now, where are her r_ecords_?"

Luckily for Peggy, her exclamation wasn't as loud as she'd wanted it to be. She had a wild urge to search through all the records within the teachers' lounge, fully aware that it could take her days. But when Peggy wanted to find out something... chances are she usually _did._

"Bale, Bartlett, Begum..."

Record after record was swiftly discarded; it would have been much easier for her if she had a name – or a face, at _least _– to connect with the new girl. As it stood, however, she had a lot of curiosity to satiate and a wild urge for coffee. "Grr, now this-"

She heard voices and footsteps approaching and looked back for fear that the door just might suddenly open.

_Uh-oh..._

* * *

"But, you know, I feel like I _have _seen you before."

Kailina's smile faltered a little at that. They were now just outside the school steps; apparently, Nathaniel was allergic to pollen so had declined her initial request to meet her near the greenhouse. "Nathaniel, like I told you yesterday, you probably remember me from when I first moved here or something."

Nathaniel frowned and Kailina inwardly pondered about the possibility of him having seen her through his father's work or something. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just... Your eyes..."

She looked down at his words. Was she really the only one with light blue eyes...? "You know..." She raised her gaze to meet his. "I've got a friend who has light blue eyes, as well. It's honestly not as uncommon as you make it out to be."

Nathaniel looked uncomfortable. "No, of course not, I just... Never mind," he said with a smile, leaving Kailina with a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. "But, if you'd like, I could show you around after school. Give you a proper tour; we have a pretty big library..."

She smiled back, glad that she still had a chance with getting closer to him. "Of course and, maybe after that... we could get something to eat or drink...?"

He seemed to be considering the options before he agreed. "Sure, that's fine. I'll see you after school, then." And, as the warning bell rang, Nathaniel made his way back inside the building, leaving Kailina with higher spirits than before.

She would have to keep this up if she had _any _chance in gaining his trust.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I just want to thank my silent followers and the one fav I've already gotten. So, thanks!

Much love! xx


	3. Chapter III: Closer

The two were seated in one of the many tables outside Cafe Bluebird itself. Kailina spared a glance for Nathaniel and noted, to her satisfaction, that he had a smile on his face. Hopefully, he would be as amiable when she asked him questions.

"So, um..." She watched as he rearranged his napkin before looking back at her. "I'd actually asked Melody beforehand, but... There's no way for me to join the Student Council?"

He smiled whilst shaking his head. "Unfortunately, no, you'd need to familiarise yourself with the school, you know."

"Right. But, if you'd like, I could help you out, if there isn't much help to spare."

His eyebrows rose. "Well, I suppose..." He didn't protest, though, as he smiled gently at her. "That'd be nice, actually. Usually, Melody is the only helper around."

Kailina silently remarked that there was an obvious reason as to why Melody would be more than happy to help him. But she kept that to herself; in a sense, she'd have to worm her way into Nathaniel's good graces. Whilst that seemed to be no hard task, she was sure that he usually put on smiles for appearance's sake.

She was familiar with fake smiles and genteel civility.

She smiled back. "It's honestly okay; I was running for Student Council President back in my old school."

Nathaniel stopped playing with his fork and looked back at her. "So, um... Why did you leave?"

Kailina stiffened at that. She'd never imagined him to be so bold, all things considered. Yet, she should have known that he'd want to pry into her business. _It must be due to the fact that he doesn't know everything about me..._ "I'd, umm..." She stabbed a piece of lasagne with her fork before eating it.

He just watched her patiently. She felt self-conscious now, for more than one reason. She swallowed and carried on. "I really don't like talking about my past..." If what the redhead had implied was true, then Kailina could simply pretend that her past was a sensitive subject for her.

Which, in all honesty, was part-truth; her father's current circumstances were d_efinitely _a sore spot for her.

She offered him a bashful smile. "I'm sorry-"

Nathaniel instantly looked mollified. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..." He sighed. "Can you... Pretend I never asked that?"

Kailina smiled. "Sure, as you wish."

He seemed appeased at that and carried on eating his meal. She would have filled the silence with questions had the silence not been comfortable.

* * *

Melody had a lot of paperwork to file yet had, in actuality, also wanted to meet Nathaniel whilst doing so.

In fact, that had been the contributing factor in her coming into the Student Council Room to help out with any paperwork.

Whilst Nathaniel worked incredibly late at times, Melody usually had some family commitments she occasionally had to attend to. With her granddad in hospital, her mother's responsibilities had now shifted to taking care of him; leaving both Melody and her father to look after themselves.

Not that Mel was complaining, though; she was becoming more comfortable and confident in her culinary ability and was thankful that her father was not a picky eater.

Whilst she was _hardly _a candidate for replacing Nathaniel as the Student Council President, she was – nevertheless – glad that the Principal trusted her enough to give her another copy of the key to the Student Council Room. It meant that the brunette could come and go, as she pleased.

And, incidentally, this key was less likely to end up in the hands of Amber.

Melody rifled through some of the paperwork sitting atop the cabinets. Now that Nathaniel was not here, it made it easier for her to attempt to find out what Kailina had been searching for in the morning. Whilst the blue-eyed girl was amiable and generous enough in wanting to help the Student Council, she had seemingly been searching for something then.

Her records, most probably; yet, what had she been trying to hide...?

She skimmed through the rest of the paperwork, determined to find out more about this new girl.

* * *

The walk to the bus stop had been just as natural as the silence that had occurred once or twice on the 'date' that Nathaniel and Kailina had been on.

She smiled back at Nathaniel as she seated herself on the bench. "Thanks so much for today. It was fun."

He smiled back. "My pleasure; I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

She rose from her seated position as she checked the stop of the bus that was approaching. "I think this is your bus, then."

He looked at said vehicle. "Yeah..." He sighed and Kailina inwardly wondered just what Nathaniel would tell his father once he was home.

Her fingers clenched in their current position on her lap.

She placed a smile on her face, though, and relaxed her hands. "I'd... like to do this again, sometime." At Nathaniel's sharp turn of the head, she amended, "If you're not busy, of course."

He smiled after having mulled it over. "Of course, that'd be nice."

Kailina grinned and was surprised at how readily it had occurred. "Great!" The bus was now preparing to stop. "Be careful going home."

Nathaniel's smile, this time, wasn't as exuberant. "Thank you. I'm sorry for bringing you all this way."

"No, it's fine. I'm glad I could see you for this long, anyway."

She noted the slightest tinge of pink paint his cheeks as he turned away. A small part of her felt guilty for making him believe her words. "Okay, well..." He made to bid her farewell but the other citizens saw fit to try and rush inside the bus. Nathaniel, apparently not wanting to be last, followed suit. He turned to her, however, once he was inside. "See you tomorrow, Kailina." He waved as the bus made to approach its next stop.

She smiled and waved back as the bus gradually moved forward towards Trent Avenue before she exhaled. Her initial perception of Nathaniel seemed to be rapidly diminishing. It also didn't help that he and Amber were as different as night and day. Would she also have to get closer to-?

"Hey, so you live out of town?"

"What?" Caught by surprise, she looked up to regard the redhead from before, still wearing his black jacket. "No, I... simply came to drop off Nathaniel."

"Oh," he said and then, as if in consternation, "...Huh. That's weird. Usually, he'd be too busy to go out on a date." Then, he smirked. "Did he know?"

"No, it..." She hoped he didn't notice her turn pink. "It wasn't a date."

He raised his eyebrows. "Uh-huh...?"

She changed the subject, one of the wise decisions she made thus far. "But, I really shouldn't be talking to you since I don't even know your name."

He smirked again. "Castiel; I'd wager that Golden Boy must have – at _least _– mentioned me once, right?"

Kailina smiled. "Your name might have popped up once or twice."

"Heh, well... I've got to take this next bus."

"Of course, I'm glad I've finally got a name for the face."

Castiel turned back to regard her just as the bus stopped next to the kerb and opened its doors. "Well... I'll see you tomorrow...?"

"Shouldn't I be asking _you _that question?"

Castiel shrugged. "Sure, I'll be there. Shermansky would definitely get my parents on my case if I miss any more classes, anyhow."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

Castiel smiled truly now, a contrast to the smirk he seemed to display as his signature expression. Then, he turned and entered the bus. Kailina allowed herself a few seconds to watch that bus turn to the other direction and idly wondered if he lived there in Forrest Street.

The bus stop was now empty and Kailina rose from her seat before making her lonely walk home; her mind already contemplating her next course of action.

* * *

Castiel was lucky in that he had snagged one of the only window seats left. He could simply stare out the window freely, which meant that there was no time to-

"Castiel, where are you going at this hour?"

"Wha-Lysander...?" He looked taken aback for a second before composing himself. "I've got to get some more food for Demon; none of the nearby stores have the brand I want. And, I need some more guitar strings." He inclined his head. "And, where are you going?"

Lysander looked a little uncomfortable. "Home; I would have asked Leigh to take me, but... he's planning on taking Rosalya out later, so I didn't want to bother him." His expression transformed into a smile. "I understand that you met a certain brunette in the bus stop..."

"She just happened to be there. Don't get the wrong idea, Lys."

His smile was still there. "Of course, so... did you get to satiate some of your innate curiosity?"

"Lys, what...?" Sometimes, Castiel _really _hated his good friend's way of speech. He assumed it must have stemmed from those weird tastes he had. "I honestly didn't ask her much. But, apparently, she was on a date with Golden Boy."

Lysander's eyebrows creased at those words. "Nathaniel... on a date... I don't know about you, but that seems a little forward, even for him."

Castiel shrugged. "Honestly, I don't really care. I'm just surprised that he _actually _noticed someone of the opposite sex in more than a platonic way."

Lysander laughed and Castiel could guess as to why. "Hadn't Peggy been planning on writing an article on Nathaniel's supposed 'sexual preferences'?"

Castiel snorted in mirth. "Heh, yeah, it's a shame she never actually did, though..."

The two carried on conversing... at least until they were forced to bid farewell to each other. Castiel had to admit, though, that Golden Boy was a pretty good subject to talk about.

* * *

Nathaniel entered his house and he already felt incredibly nervous. Which was something, considering that he hadn't even _met _his father, yet; he just prayed that his fib was eaten up so that he could escape a beating, at least for tonight.

"Where have you been?"

He silently gulped and faced the face of the man he hadn't wanted to meet. Cold blue eyes stared at him and his sharp demeanour didn't help any. "Um, I... had some work to finish off."

"Could you not have called? Your mother and sister were worried."

Nathaniel choked back an incredulous laugh. Sure, his sister must have been worried; after all, her favourite plaything wasn't home. "Well, um... my battery died, so-"

"Fine, now go upstairs to your room. Don't bother coming back down." Matthew pointed towards the room for emphasis and swiftly turned back to seat himself at the kitchen table. He was glad that he'd escaped with no punches or kicks but had the sneaking suspicion that he'd end up with bruises before long.

* * *

I'd just like to thank my first reviewer, Owldistraction. And, I'm still incredibly thankful to all those who have faved this story and are also following it.

And I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year!

Much love! xx


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